Rings and Things
by Kathryn0505
Summary: Tag to Regrets. Pete/Myka. I suck at summaries, so just read it.


**My second attempt at WH13. I'm sure they're horribly out of character and I'm not really happy with how it turned out, but I know that I would want to read someone's WH13 story, even if they thought it was crap. So here it is. =]**

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Pete groaned and rolled over, trying to stay asleep. But despite his efforts he felt himself waking up bit by bit, until he was blinking away the last bits of sleep. He glanced up at the clock, and was relieved to find that it was only 2:23 in the morning.

Wondering what woke him up at such an hour, Pete sat up and listened intently. He could make out a faint sound coming through the wall, and tried to figure out what it was. It took him a few moments before he realized that it was the sound of someone crying.

He waited for a few minutes, wondering what he should do. He knew that they'd had a rough day, but it really seemed to him that Myka was doing okay afterwards. Apparently not.

After a while he finally decided to go see what was wrong. He knew that even though he'd told her she could talk to him, it would still be a while before she fully took advantage of that, especially at 2 o'clock in the morning.

"Myka?" he knocked on her door. The sound of her crying immediately stopped and he waited a bit to see if she'd answer. When she didn't, he tried again. "Myka, can I come in?"

"Yeah," he heard faintly through the door. He didn't waste a second, and quickly opened her door and went in.

Of course it would be pitch black in the room and he wouldn't be able to see a thing. He followed what he believed to be the floor plan until he was sitting on the edge of her bed.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah," she replied.

"Myka…"

"Okay, it's just been a rough day," she conceded. Even though he couldn't see her, he could tell that she was on the verge of tears.

"Why are you crying?" he asked her. He'd thought that she'd managed to put her guilt behind her, so he was thrown by her display of emotion.

"I'm n-"

"Okay, fine," he cut her off. "You're completely okay, so I'll just leave you to it." He knew he shouldn't be angry, but he couldn't help it. He stood up suddenly, and she couldn't help but be disappointed as she felt his weight leave the bed. "I just want to help, Myka," he added, more quietly. He made his way to the door quickly, not waiting around for her to continue to pretend she was okay when he knew she wasn't.

"Pete!" she half-sobbed, and he stopped dead in his tracks. She sounded so needy, so desperate, that he made his way back over to her.

"I'm sorry," she said, reaching out to him. "I'm just… I don't know."

"Wow, that must be a first," he joked, and she couldn't help but let out a laugh that was still laced with tears.

"I thought you were doing okay," he said to her, taking a serious tone. He lay back on the pillow next to her, and glanced in what he believed to be her general direction.

"No, I am. Better, at least." She took a breath. "I just miss him," she confessed.

"You never talk about him," he told her.

"Hurts too much," she replied. She wasn't sure exactly what was making her so open, but she had a feeling that lack of sleep had a lot to do with it.

"He'd want you to be happy."

They both stay silent for a few minutes, not knowing quite what to add. After a while, Myka felt the need to speak up. To confide in someone for once.

"He asked me to marry him."

"What?" he sounded surprised, and she found it just a bit endearing. "What did you say?"

She felt the sadness of the loss of what could have been come creeping back. "I said yes." She was crying again quietly, hoping that Pete couldn't hear her even though she was pretty sure that he already knew.

He felt her take his hand, and then there was something cold being pressed into his palm. He reached over to his side of the bed, and turned the lamp on the very lowest setting. He looked down and saw that he was holding a ring. It was beautiful, he thought as he handed it back to her. She looked like a mess, and his heart broke for her when he saw more tears escaping from her eyes.

"Did you guys ever set a date?"

"October 15th."

"That's kind of an odd season for a wedding," he commented.

"We liked the fall," she smiled.

The comfortable silence descended upon them once again, and Myka let out a yawn.

"I'm so tired," she told him, and he knew that she meant in more ways than one.

"Scooch over, you're taking up all the room." He got up out of the bed to move the covers down, and climbed in next to her.

"What are you doing?" she asked him, somewhat alarmed.

"Relax," he encouraged, "It's like a slumber party!"

She was too tired to fight his enthusiasm, and to be honest she wasn't sure she wanted to. But she did know that she was extremely glad to have met Pete Lattimer. For as annoying as he could be, he was a really great friend.

She leaned over him and kissed his cheek. "Thank you," she managed, hoping that that could convey everything she couldn't find the words to say.

He caught her hand as she moved away, and looked right at her. "You're welcome."

And with that, he reached over and turned off the light, making his smile the last thing she saw that night.


End file.
